THERE is something very wrong with Australian politics – at all levels – if we cannot attract more high quality women candidates to run for election.
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Women make up just over half of the population but are vastly under-represented in elected positions.
A report published in the Western Advocate this week revealed that out of 10 state and federal electorates across the Central West, just two are represented by women.
The story is not much better at a local level. In Bathurst, just two of the nine councillors are women. In Orange the figure is just one-in-10 while Dubbo fares only slightly better with three women councillors out of 10.
And the problem is not a new one: Those rates of representation are not significantly better or worse than we have seen across the region for the past two decades or so.
But finding ways to boost female representation has proved difficult for just as long. At a local level, in particular, it appears especially daunting for women to put their hand up to run for council knowing they will have to do so without the party backing that's available at state and federal level.
And the boys' club that has existed for so long on so many local councils also appears to turning away potential candidates.
There is also the question of the time it takes to serve, and the impact that could have on a candidate's family. Rightly or wrongly, that consideration seems to weigh more heavily on potential female candidates than male candidates. But while that continues, the whole community suffers.
To elect the best possible council, residents must be able to choose from the best possible candidates.
But having the talents and experience of half the population excluded from the equation means we will always be left with the best available rather than the best possible.
Which is a shame, because women can bring so much to the council chamber.
Women generally take a different approach to debate, and a different perspective can only be a good thing. Women bring different life experiences into the chamber and different ambitions.
No-one is suggesting a set quota of women on council, and nor should we, but we must find ways to entice more quality female candidates. That is the best way – indeed, the only way - to ensure more quality female councillors and a council that better reflects our community.